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Book lot I(k(iie^. 




TI^E ^I^T OF- 



rcseniing |jattti[al Jlbitn^ 



MAKING 



AND 



PRESERVING AND MOUNTING 



lOTf lEf Mli. MOf HS 



AND 



INSECTS OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS. 




B"5r E. ^. BTJE3L.E, 
NATURALIST AND TAXIDERMIST 

a 

Pimderson, CriESUid 4 Co., Printers, New Haven. 







^ooh fof I^kdie^. 






TI^E j^T^ro oir 



rc^^rtiinfl Watiipl Jkmr^, 



MAKING 



AND 



PRESERVING AND MOUNTING 



ilf f ISf Uli. MOf 1 



4^ 



AND 



INSECTS OF ALL DESCRIPTIOHS. 



NATURALIST AND T AXIRDERMIST, 

/^7.1 ^» 

Pundereon, Crisand & Co., Printers, New Haven, Conn. 






V 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1S73, by 

E. A. BUELE, 
in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. 



cP 






f j^Ff/PF 



In giving instruction in the different subjects 
of which this little book treats, the object of the 
writer has been to give the readers all the infor- 
mation that is necessary to enable them to be- 
come proficient in these beautiful pastimes, free 
from the annoyance of a quantity of unnecessary 
comment, which is as useless for all practical pur- 
poses as it is annoying to the beginner. 

It is usual to fill a book of this kind with a 
quantity of unnecessary information, with the sole 
object of making the subject appear more intricate, 
thus making the directions given appear more 
valuable. The object of this book being to give 
solely practical information regarding the subject 
in hand, and not to confuse the reader with super- 
fluous comments and directions ; everything that is 
not necessary to the attainment of the object has 
been omitted. 




The following directions fully carried out, will 
enable any one to become proficient in this art in 
a very short time. 

Gather the leaves carefully, taking special care 
not to bruise or break them, and select only those 
that are perfect and fully developed ; very young 
leaves are useless, being too tender to withstand 
the process they are to go through. 

Procure an earthen jar that will hold about four 
or five gallons, fill this with clean rain water, 
place the leaves in the water smooth sides upper- 
most ; do not put in more than can be conveniently 
covered by the water ; now cover the jar with some 
thin material, such as gauze, crape, or even very 
thin cotton cloth. 

The jar is now to be placed in a position where 
it will be exposed to the air ; if the sun can reach 
it during the day, it will be better still. Let it 



6 



remain about two months, taking care to keep it 
replenished with water according as it decreases by 
evaporation. 

Some species of leaves require to remain longer in 
the water than others. It will, therefore, be advis- 
able to select those leaves that from their similarity 
of nature will require the same length of time to 
decompose, such as Oak, Cherry, Apple, Lilac, Ash, 
&c., and all kinds that are tough in their nature, 
these will have to remain in the water about two 
months ; others, such as Geraniums, Currants, and 
ferns of all kinds, require a much shorter time — not 
more than three or four weeks ; but as the weather 
and the position of the jar has something to do 
with the process of decomposition which the leaves 
must go through, no definite rule can be laid down 
in regard to the time they are to remain in the 
water, so that it will be necessary for persons to use 
their own judgement in this matter, by simply taking 
the leaves out occasionally and gently rubbing them 
between the thumb and finger. If they have been 
in the water long enough, the soft parts will separate 
ftom the fibres, when it will be necessary to remove 
them. Take them carefully from the water, one by 



7 



one, and lay them on sheets of vellum paper, placing 
another sheet of the same on the top ; press them 
gently with a cloth until as much moisture as pos- 
sible is removed. Now remove them to another 
sheet of vellum and rub them gently with the finger 
until all the green or fleshy part is entirely removed. 
They will now be of a dirty white appearance, and 
to make them a beautiful white, they are to be 
bleached in a solution of Chloride of Lime, which 
must be made very weak, great care being taken not 
to allow them to remain in the solution too long, as 
it is liable to make them brittle. After they are 
sufficiently whitened, take them out and place them 
in clean water, wash them thoroughly, changing the 
water several times. Now take them out and place 
them on dry vellum, place a sheet of the same on 
the top, and put them away to dry. When thor- 
oughly dry they are ready for mounting. 

This is generally done by arranging them in 
wreaths, or bouquets, before a background of black 
or blue velvet, the dark ground throwing out 
every fibre, giving them a very beautiful appear- 
ance. 

The greater the variety of leaves, and the skill 



8 



displayed in mounting them, will, of course add to 
the beauty of the collection. 

Collections of skeleton leaves have been sold as 
high as two hundred and fifty dollars. The expense 
of making is insignificant. 



w h'^ ^i jjil^Hqmng IJatuiiat jlouif^. 



Flowers of all descriptions may be beautifully 
preserved in the following manner. . 

Take a square wooden box about six inches deep, 
ten long and six wide, and having a lid that is made 
to slide in and out in a groove. Remove the bot- 
tom of the box and turn the lid side down, which 
will now form the bottom of the box. Inside the 
box, and near the bottom, (that now is,) is to be 
placed a piece of gauze ; this must be cut to fit the 
box, and fastened to the inside of the box by means 
of gum arable, commonly called gum-sticking, such 
as is used for sticking envelopes, and can be had at 
any drug store ; this will form a sieve inside the 
box, the use of which will be presently seen. Now 
take a quantity of very fine quartz sand, sufficient 
to fill the box if it should be at any time necessary 
to do so, place the sand in an iron saucepan, or an 
iron vessel of any kind, and place it over a slow fire. 



10 



When the sand is very hot, stir into it about an 
ounce of spermaceti ; continue the stirring until the 
spermaceti has completely disappeared. 

Now have ready the flowers, being particular to 
select only those that are perfect, and which have 
been recently cut. Place sufficient sand (which has 
now been allowed to cool,) in the box to cover the 
gauze in the bottom. Now place on the sand as 
many flowers as will cover it without crowding them 
together. 

When this is done put in sufficient sand to cover 
the flowers, taking care not to disturb them, and see 
that the sand distributes itself among the petals or 
leaves of the flowers ; this can be done by gently 
rapping the sides of the box with the hand. When 
they are completely covered with the sand, repeat 
the operation as before described until the box is 
full, all the flowers being buried in the sand in 
layers. 

The box is now to be placed in an oven where it 
will be exposed to a moderate heat for about ten or 
twelve hours, after which it may be taken out and 
allowed to cool. 

The flowers may now be examined, and if found 



11 



to be perfectly dry, they are ready to be taken out. 
This Is done by removing the sliding bottom from 
the box and allowing the sand to run out through 
the gauze, leaving the flowers resting upon it, 
thoroughly dry and in a perfect state of preserva- 
tion. They may now be arranged in wreaths, or 
bouquets, or in whatever design the fancy may dic- 
tate. They should be kept in a dry place for a day 
or two, when they may be placed In vases, forming 
a lasting and beautiful attraction for the boudoir or 
parlor mantel. 

Some very fine collections are sometimes placed 
beneath glass globes, such as are used for protect- 
ing specimens of stuffed birds. 

Butterflies and insects of different kinds may be 
placed among them, giving the whole collection a 
truly beautiful appearance, and to the preserving of 
which the remainder of this little book is devoted. 

If the flowers when taken from the oven are 
found not to have been sufficiently dried, they 
should be replaced and kept there until the drying 
is complete. Practice In this, as In everything else, 
makes perfect. 



:jr^seiimnj9 mi |[ountmjg lutk|lk^, jloth^, ^tc. 



These beautiful Insects may be preserved, alike 
from decay, and the attack of spiders and other 
insects that feed upon them, so that they retain all 
their natural beauty for any length of time, by ad- 
hering to the directions given below. 

In the first place, a few directions for catching 
them will be necessary, as they are to be captured 
and killed in such a manner as to prevent the pos- 
sibility of their being disfigured. In order to do 
this properly, take a thin gauze net, made in the same 
shape as the scoop-nets used by fishermen for taking 
fish from the water after catching them by the hook 
and line, the handle being about six feet long, and 
the net fastened to a ring at the end of the handle ; 
any one with a little ingenuity can make one that 
will suit every purpose. These insects being nu- 
merous in all parts of the country during the sum- 
mer months, no difftculty will be experienced in 



13 



finding them, though some species cannot be found 
until late in the summer ; watch the insect until it 
alights ; if an attempt is made to take it on the 
wing, the fine dust which forms the beautiful colors 
of the wings is very liable to be removed by the net. 
The net should be placed over the insect as gently 
as possible under the circumstances, and the insect 
itself taken from beneath it as gently and quickly as 
possible, to prevent it bruising itself by its attempts 
to escape ; and now comes a very important part of 
the proceedings, the killing. There is only one way 
in which this can be properly done, and, although 
seemingly cruel, is the most humane method of any 
that has been adopted by naturalists and taxider- 
mists, and which not only kills the insect quicker 
than any other way, but helps in a measure to pre- 
serve it afterwards. It is done as follows : Take a 
common pin or needle — either will answer — and place 
it through the body of the insect, taking care to 
hold the wings together in such a manner as to pre- 
vent their being rubbed together ; let the pin be 
long enough to leave an inch or so protruding ; this 
will be the large end ; this end is now to be placed 
in the flame of a candle and allowed to remain there 



14 



until the insect is quite dead, which will be in five 
or six seconds ; the pin can now be withdrawn, and 
the specimen is ready for mounting and preserving. 
The former is done first, and in the following man- 
ner : Take a piece of board of a convenient size, say 
about eighteen inches square and half an inch thick ; 
on one side of this board grooves must be cut the 
whole length and about two inches apart, and deep 
enough to admit the bodies of the insects, which are 
to be fastened in by means of pins stuck through 
the thickest part and into the bottom of the groove. 
The wings are now spread out on either side, placed 
in the position in which it is intended they should 
remain, and fastened there by means of pins and 
pieces of rather stiff paper, cut in a shape somewhat 
resembling that formed by the outline of the letter 
V. The pins are stuck through the large end of 
these, the small ends or points being allowed to 
overlap and press down upon the wings, the point of 
the pin being stuck into the board. Have the pieces 
of paper cut in different sizes, as it will be found 
most convenient to have a variety ; it is immaterial 
how many are used so long as the wings are kept in 
their places ; the insects should be placed in position 



15 



as soon as convenient after they are caught, as they 
are liable to become too dry and brittle to admit of 
their being arranged properly. The mounting is 
now complete ; they are now to be preserved ; this 
is done by camphor alone, that being found by taxi- 
dermists to answer every purpose satisfactorily, ren- 
dering the specimens entirely free from the attack 
of other insets, and also from decay, for any length 
of time ; it has also the advantage of being applied 
without handling or disturbing them in any way ; 
all that is necessary to do is to place the board on 
which the insects are mounted in a close shallow 
box, that has been thoroughly saturated on the in- 
side with spirits of camphor ; also place pieces of 
solid camphor among the insects on the board, 
securing the pieces by means of pins so that they 
will not come in contact with the insects themselves. 
Now close the lid and place the box in some dry 
place ; let it remain undisturbed for about ten or 
fourteen days and the process is complete. The in- 
sects may now be carefully removed from the board 
and placed wherever it is wished. They have a 
very beautiful appearance when placed in a shallow 
box or cabinet case, with a glass front, and hung 



16 



against the wall ; if arranged in this manner, small 
pieces of camphor may be placed in the box with 
them, though it is not at all necessary that this 
should be done. 

The above directions fully carried out Will render 
failure impossible. 



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